Line #29 Series/LionMaruG


1	[[quoteright:275:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/LionMaruG_3448.jpg]]
2
3	Lion Maru G is a {{Toku}} series airing from October to November 2006.
4
5	Shishimaru is an UnluckyEverydude eking out a living in [[WretchedHive Neo-Kabuki-Cho]] as a 'host' in an exclusive club, who gets unwittingly wrapped up in the predominant gang violence in the city. An old man tells him that this was no accident, and hands him the legendary sword Kinsachi, explaining his true destiny as [[LegacyCharacter the next Lion Maru]]. And if that wasn't enough to take in all at once, someone out there's got the only weapon equal to its power, the Ginsachi, meaning that Shishimaru is in for at least one fight for his life...
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7	The series itself, from the makers of ''Series/{{Garo}}'', is a followup to the classic Toku ''Kaiketsu Lion Maru'' and its sequel ''Fuun Lion Maru''. The "G" addendum stands for "Ghetto"; or alternatively "Gigolo".
8	----
9	!!Tropes found in Lion Maru G:
10	* AbhorrentAdmirer: the only two women who go for Shishimaru at all.
11	* AllYourPowersCombined: Makage [[spoiler:gets his hands on both Kinsachi and Ginsachi and turns into the hybrid creature [=ShishiTora=]...]] which eventually leads to PhlebotinumBreakdown.
12	* AnimalMotifs: Lion Maru and Tiger Joe, [[PantheraAwesome obviously,]] while the Shadow ninjas resemble bugs.
13	* AudibleSharpness: Legendary swords, remember?
14	* AxCrazy: Makage.
15	* BigBad: Gousan.
16	* BigEater: Saori - just one time in ep. 8, but it's a bun ''as big as her head.''
17	* BrattyHalfPint: [=KosuK=] is older than the usual ones, but plays this straight.
18	* BreatherEpisode: ep. 10, complete with LampshadeHanging when Kashin Koji appears just to say "[[HarbingerOfImpendingDoom the final battle is near...]]"
19	* BuxomBeautyStandard: Saori [[IncrediblyLamePun firmly]] believes in this.
20	* CharacterTics: Shishimaru's... constant... [[{{Squick}} scratching.]]
21	* CloudCuckooLander: Junior. That "teacher" at the night school.
22	* TheComicallySerious: [[spoiler:Jounosuke - though this ''should'' be expected considering this show is mostly comedy.]]
23	* CoolBike: Shishimaru's modified Suzuki Burgman (though nobody in-universe agrees).
24	* CosplayOtakuGirl:
25	** '''Junior.'''
26	** [=KosuK=] might actually count since she has several different Joshikousei suits.
27	* CoverVersion: The ThemeSong is the original ''Series/KaiketsuLionMaru'' theme, redone by AkiraKushida. [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic How could it NOT rock.]]
28	* DarkAndTroubledPast: played for laughs when [=KosuK=] "theorises" the reasons for Jounosuke's behavior. [[spoiler:Then played straight when the truth is slowly outed.]]
29	* DistressedDamsel: Saori
30	* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: A drunk Shishimaru is convinced to turn into Lion Maru, who for some reason is ''shorter than usual''.
31	* TheDragon: Jounosuke to Gousan.
32	* DualWielding: Kinsachi and Ginsachi can morph into dual weapons. [[spoiler:Gousan does this after finally getting off his ass.]]
33	* EliteMooks: Gousan's Shadow ninjas.
34	* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: The barkeep at Snack Z, and possibly Junior himself since he's ''Junior CEO'' of Gousan's company.
35	* EvilCounterpart: Jounosuke as Tiger Joe. [[spoiler:Makage to both of them.]]
36	* EyeScream: in eps 3 & 4, Toppongi [[spoiler:lost an eye to Junior in an Imperial Japan army uniform.]]
37	* FanDisservice: Junior again.
38	* FireForgedFriends: [[spoiler:Shishimaru and Jounosuke.]]
39	* ForHalloweenIAmGoingAsMyself: A drunk and motivated Shishimaru is convinced to turn into Lion Maru for the talent segment of Saori's birthday party. Naturally, everyone thinks it's AllPartOfTheShow.
40	* GangOfHats: the Swankees, who wear baseball uniforms and bat ''grenades'' at you. An army-themed one appears briefly in ep. 10.
41	* GoodGuyBar: Snack Z.
42	* GRatedDrug: the "Skull Eyes" contact lenses.
43	* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Kashin Koji and Jounosuke.]]
44	* HiddenDepths: the normally quiet master of Snack K [[spoiler:once mentored Yuri.]]
45	** Turns out the two Abhorrent Admirers ''can cook.''
46	* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: with a trifecta of GratuitousEnglish, the word 'Joutai' meaning 'state' or 'condition', and an exclamation mark.
47	* {{Joshikousei}}: [=KosuK=], even though what she's attending looks more like a nighttime cram school (which she keeps skipping anyway)
48	* IJustWantToBeNormal: Shishimaru.
49	* KatanasAreJustBetter
50	* KickTheDog: just like the Operative in ''Film/{{Serenity}}'', Gousan lures our heroes out of hiding by [[spoiler:killing off ''the supporting cast''.]]
51	* LargeHam: Junior again. Shishimaru is a close second.
52	* LegacyCharacter: Nearly all the characters are named for someone in the original ''Kaiketsu Lion Maru''. Even Shishimaru's CoolBike is named after the original Lion Maru's steed Hikarimaru.
53	** [[ExpositoryThemeTune The theme song namedrops Saori and Kosuke so it may have been unavoidable.]]
54	* LetsYouAndHimFight
55	* LovableSexManiac: Shishimaru (YMMV on the 'lovable' part)
56	* LoveLetterLunacy: eps 6 & 7
57	* MoodWhiplash: a particularly jarring case in the [[spoiler:WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue, as the ''real'' circumstances behind [[SomeoneToRememberHimBy Saori getting pregnant]] are revealed. FridgeBrilliance kicks in when you realize that her getting pregnant ''is'' far more likely as a result...]]
58	* MsFanservice: Saori (but of COURSE!)
59	* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: Kinsachi turns out to be an EmpathicWeapon.
60	* OnceAnEpisode: The next episode previews being narrated over by a different character each time.
61	* OrcusOnHisThrone: Gousan.
62	* ProductPlacement: The jingle for Fuji Safari Park comes up twice in relation to describing Lion Maru.
63	** It may just be an ActorAllusion considering theme song singer AkiraKushida [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpIWXj_56Xc sings]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ctd2ymPXXog their commercial jingle]].
64	* TheRival: Jounosuke, who's frankly insulted that he's the rival to ''Shishimaru''.
65	* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Shishimaru and Saori were ''extremely'' horrified at Tiger Joe's debut.
66	* SecretKeeper: [=KosuK=] documents the exploits of Lion Maru in magazine articles, while leaving out the important fact that it's ''Shishimaru''.
67	* SeriousBusiness: the 'hosts' at the club going through morning drills in ep. 1.
68	* ShoutOut:
69	** Junior's DrillSergeantNasty outfit pretty much screams ''Film/FullMetalJacket''.
70	** Shishimaru practically spells out how him and Jounosuke going into hiding [[spoiler:after being curbstomped by Makage]] resembles the latter half of ''Film/RoboCop1987''.
71	* SomeoneToRememberHimBy: [[spoiler:Saori is pregnant with Jounosuke's child at the end.]]
72	* StealthPun: Turning into Lion Maru doesn't award Shishimaru any badass levels at first - he's literally a [[Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz Cowardly Lion]].
73	* StevenUlyssesPerhero: possibly averted as Shishimaru is hinted at to be a 'host name' that comes with the job (Makage also goes by 'Kagemaru' for his brief stint).
74	* [[TwelveEpisodeAnime Thirteen Episode Toku]]
75	* ThisLoserIsYou: '''Shishimaru.'''
76	* TookALevelInBadass: Shishimaru eventually - and unknowingly too, as he curbstomps a gang of four without using Kinsachi in ep. 10.
77	* {{Tsundere}}: Saori. The fact that even her drunken ranting is directed at Shishimaru sells this.
78	** Possibly Jounosuke as well.
79	* UnluckyEverydude
80	* WellDoneSonGuy: Junior
81	* WholesomeCrossdresser: Junior (well, mostly)
82	* WretchedHive: Neo-Kabuki-Cho.
83	* XtremeKoolLetterz: Kosuke from the original Lion Maru is now [=KosuK=], Internet handle for Saori's sister.
84	** Adding a G to the title could also count.
85	* YouKilledMyFather: [[spoiler:Actually both parents in Jounosuke's case, courtesy of Gousan.]]
86
87	* {{Yubitsume}}: in ep. 6, the thug of the week never bends his little finger - because it's a prosthesis. In a jarring case of {{Foreshadowing}}, another thug makes the wagging-pinky gesture earlier to his partner, a known euphemism for 'that special someone'.

Context Series / LionMaruG